Politics

President Obama said Moammar Gadhafi's death marks the end of a long and painful chapter for the Libyan people. The seven-month military campaign that toppled the Libyan leader also marks a high point for the kind of international cooperation that Obama has championed.

The White House was careful Thursday not to claim vindication for the president's policies, but the Libyan exercise does offer an example of what an "Obama Doctrine" might look like.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has said he is free of cancer after returning from Cuba for health checks following four cycles of chemotherapy.

He travelled to the island four months ago to have surgery for cancer there.

"Everything went perfectly. I got top marks, 20 out of 20," he told reporters.

Mr Chavez had previously described his treatment as successful. But secrecy about his illness fuelled speculation it may be worse than officially stated.

The 57-year-old leader, who has been in power since 1999, says his illness will not stop him from standing for re-election next year.

GOP presidential hopeful Herman Cain is trying to tamp down controversy over his comments about abortion.

"I'm 100% pro-life. End of story," he tweeted.

Cain's comment in a CNN interview that decisions about abortion should be left to women and their families raised eyebrows and drew a rebuke from rival Rick Santorum.

Moamer Kadhafi was captured as his hometown of Sirte was falling on Thursday, a National Transitional council Commander said, adding that the ousted Libyan strongman was badly wounded.
Je has been captured. He is badly wounded but he s still breathing,” Mohamed Leith told AFP, adding that he has seen Kadhafi himself and that he was wearing a kaki uniform and turban.
Libyan TV channel “Libya lil Ahrar” also said that he was in custody.
In Sirte, medics said the defense minister in Kadhafi’s ousted regime, Abu Bakr Yunis, has been killed in the final battle for the strongman’s hometown.

The U.S. Congress have warned that a return to Liberia by former president Charles Taylor would have far-reaching consequences and seriously undermine bilateral relations.
One suggested he would support cutting U.S. aid if Taylor was allowed back into political life in Liberia.

US and North Korean officials are to meet next week in Geneva to try to revive stalled international talks on ending Pyongyang's nuclear program.
A state department spokesman in Washington said the talks in Switzerland would be "a continuation of the exploratory meetings".
The six-party talks broke down in April 2009, just before Pyongyang carried out its second nuclear test.
The US envoy for North Korea is to step down after the Geneva talks.
Washington said on Wednesday that Stephen Bosworth would be replaced by Glyn Davies, the current US ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Uganda: U.S. Troops Arrive to 'Kill or Capture' Kony

Uganda yesterday welcomed the arrival, on Wednesday, of the first batch of US Special Forces that President Obama assigned to help regional armies "remove" LRA leader Joseph Kony and his commanders from the battlefield.

"This confirms that LRA is no longer just a Ugandan problem but a regional one," said military Spokesman Col. Felix Kulayigye. "We welcome this development and the US forces will augment us with ideas and technology."

Lt. JG La'Shanda Holmes' claim that she "didn't grow up with a silver spoon" is an incredible understatement. Raised in foster care with more than 12 siblings after her mother's suicide, the ambitious aviator is rising above all expectations as the pilot of MH-65 Dolphins, making Holmes the first black female helicopter pilot in U.S. Coast Guard history.

WASHINGTON (AP) - A Supreme Court spokeswoman says 19 people were arrested Sunday afternoon after they refused to leave the grounds of the court...
Author, commentator, civil rights activist and Princeton University professor Cornel West has been arrested while protesting on the steps of the Supreme Court about corporate influence in politics.

A Supreme Court spokeswoman says 19 people were arrested Sunday afternoon after they refused to leave the grounds of the court.

Zambia's newly-elected President Michael Sata on Monday warned Chinese investors to respect the country's labour laws to avoid bad blood in workplace.

"Your investment should benefit Zambia and your people need to adhere to local laws," Sata told Chinese ambassador Zhou Yuxiao, who paid a visit to the new president at State House.

"If they adhere to local laws, there will be no need to point fingers at each other," Sata said.

Sata, who was elected last week, is known for his tough stand against the influx of Chinese investment into the country, particularly in the mining sector, which he says does not benefit the locals.